1. Field of the Invention
The invention is directed at an electric motor-operated vehicle using a fuel cell. Specifically, the invention relates to the layout of cooling elements associated with the fuel cell of an electric motor-operated vehicle.
2. Description of the Related Art
Electric motor-operated vehicles having fuel cells are well known in the art. Some of such conventional electric motor-operated vehicles are golf carts or other simple vehicles for carrying objects.
The fuel cell is generally a generator that converts chemical energy, released when water is produced by the reaction of hydrogen and oxygen, into electric energy that can be used in conjunction with a battery and an electric motor to propel an electric vehicle. Fuel cells such as the solid polymer electrolyte fuel cell (PEFC) that is in practical use is capable of generating electricity at a low working temperature of about 70 to 90 degrees Celsius using an ion exchange membrane as the electrolyte, and hydrogen, natural gas or gasoline as the fuel.
A by-product of the electricity generation process of a fuel cell is heat, which can be dissipated with a variety of devices. Components related to the electricity generation process must be effectively cooled in order to generate electricity with high efficiency and reliability.
A conventional electric motor-operated vehicle with a conventional fuel cell is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,448,535. The cooling structure disclosed therein to cool the fuel cell comprises a heat exchanger, a cooling medium, and a fan to cool the cooling medium. However, the layout of the cooling structure is large, complicated and heavy.